Farmed Animal Protection Project II

Farmed Animal Protection Project II - Professor Hira Jaleel

• Course Number: LAW-799
• Course Type: Highly Specialized and Experiential
• Credits: 3
• Enrollment Limit: 15
• Description: Industrial animal agriculture, including aquaculture, is extremely detrimental for the well-being of animals, human health, and the environment. The confinement and overcrowding of animals in intensive animal food production operations result in immense suffering, depriving trillions of land and aquatic animals of their natural physiological and social behaviors. Industrial animal agriculture also poses significant threats to human health, such as the increased risk of spreading zoonotic diseases. From an environmental perspective, industrial animal agriculture is a major contributor to deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Farmed Animal Protection Project (FAPP) offers students a two-semester experiential learning opportunity to concentrate on farmed animal protection, and to develop lawyering and other professional skills used by farmed animal protection advocates. The class approaches farmed animal protection from a holistic lens, incorporating animal law, human rights law and environmental law topics. Additionally, the class focuses on all types of farmed animals, including aquatic animals. The Project has an in-class component, and students will also spend time working on projects out-of-class.

In-class exercises teach farmed animal protection legal and advocacy strategies and skills helpful to advocates working to protect the interests of farmed animals. Students also benefit from guest lectures by advocates working in the farmed animal advocacy space. Class meets once per week for
two hours.

Students will work on existing projects and / or create an individual project in the field of farmed animal protection law, as well as intersecting issues such as food system reform, climate change, environmental protection, environmental justice, workers’ rights, and more. Students are expected to spend 10 hours per week on these projects. Examples of existing and new projects include:

• • Researching and drafting white papers on farmed animal protection issues;
    ● Filing Freedom of Information Act requests and analyzing and publishing the results to aid other advocates in the farmed animal advocacy space;
    ● Drafting new domestic and international model farmed animal protection legislation, as well as concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) bans and moratoria;
    ● Creating a new curriculum for farmed animal protection courses around the globe;
    ● Providing supportive materials and content for others to submit amicus briefs in farmed animal protection litigation;
    ● Creating awareness campaigns that educate the public about legal issues affecting farmed animal protection and how they can make a difference.

As a non-clinical experiential course, FAPP does not have clients. This structure gives the Project academic freedom and allows the fruits of the Project to be shared with the world at large.

• Note: Previously, this course offered an option for students to create a farmed animal protection nonprofit organization. However, that option will no longer be available as part of the Farmed Animal Protection Project, but will be available through an Individual Research project with Professor Russ Mead, rmead@lclark.edu. Interested students should contact Professor Mead to inquire about this opportunity.
• Prerequisite or Corequisite: Animal Law Fundamentals (previously offered as Animals in the Law)
• Evaluation Method: Credit/No Credit based on an individual project, performance on in-class exercises, and attendance.
• Capstone: No, under normal circumstances. A project can qualify for capstone credit with advanced permission.
• WIE: No, under normal circumstances. Advanced permission is required for a particular project to qualify for the WIE requirement.

• Course length: Students must also enroll in Farmed Animal Protection Project II when it is offered in the same academic year. There is no application process.

 

Course description for sections offered prior to Fall 2024

Farmed Animal Protection Project II - Professor Russ Mead

• Course Number: LAW-799
• Course Type: Highly Specialized and Experiential
• Credits: 3
• Enrollment Limit: 20
• Description: The Farmed Animal Protection Project concentrates on farm animal protection and lawyering skills used by farm animal protection legal advocates. The project has an in-class component as well as an out-of-class individual project.
  
  

  In-class exercises teach farm animal protection legal strategies and lawyering skills helpful to lawyers working in farm animal protection. Each week, the class explores an emerging farm animal protection topic or a farm animal law lawyering skill. Class meets one day a week for two hours.

  Students create an individual project in the field of farm animal protection law. These projects prepare students to work as lawyers for animal nonprofits and NGO’s. The projects also benefit lawyer and non-lawyer advocates currently working in farm animal protection. Students are expected to spend 10 hours a week on these projects.

  Examples of Farm Animal Protection Projects:

  • Writing amicus briefs on a significant piece of pending farm animal protection litigation.

  • Creating white papers on rapidly developing farm animal protection issues.

  • Filing Freedom of Information Act requests and publishing the results to aid the farm animal protection movement.

  • Drafting new domestic and international farm animal protection legislation.

  • Creating a new curriculum for farm animal protection animal law courses around the globe.

  • There will also be an option for students to create a farm animal protection nonprofit as part of this class.

  Project structure: Non-clinic experiential.

  As a non-clinical experiential course, the project does not have clients. This structure gives the project academic freedom and allows the fruits of the project to be shared with the world at large. All final writings of the individual projects are freely available to the world under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike International License. Legal scholars and farm animal advocates worldwide are encouraged to use and expand on the work of the Farm Animal Protection Project.

• Prerequisite: Farmed Animal Protection Project I
• Evaluation Method: Credit/No Credit based on an individual project, performance on in-class exercises, and attendance.
• Capstone: No, under normal circumstances. A project can qualify for capstone credit with advanced permission.
• WIE: Yes, under normal circumstances.

• Course length: Students must also enroll in Farmed Animal Protection Project I when it is offered in the same academic year. There is no application process.